Hacker News Reader

Comment by puma_ambit | Hacker News Reader

No this is just Elon being Elon (seeking attention at any cost). There are always parts of companies that need people on site to do x or y job but for the most part the pandemic has forever changed how work is done. If you've got the skills that are in demand you can always quit and go work somewhere else where remote is still an option.

View on HN

> If you've got the skills that are in demand you can always quit and go work somewhere else where remote is still an option.

You could say this about any shitty part of tech work though. Software devs won't be put on 24/7 on-call rotations because they can just quit and work somewhere else. Software devs won't be forced to put together a quick hack because they can just quit and work somewhere else. Software devs won't be forced to work nights and weekends to meet an arbitrary deadline because they can just quit and work somewhere else.

For whatever reason, it doesn't end up being that simple.

The cost of switching is pretty high. Interviews, background checks, filling out your W4, coming up to speed on a new team with new processes, etc. It ain't free or 0 stress. To get around the interviews, I think this is why some people always have interview processes going on in the background, even if they're not looking for a job. Then when they want to rage quit to make a point, they can easily land on their feet. (It is annoying when you interview people that don't accept your offer, but what can you do.)

A lot of what makes people want to leave companies is the simple nature of working with other people in a for-profit enterprise. That is not going to change by moving to another for-profit enterprise. So those people probably feel pretty stuck regardless of how good the market is.

That was 2010 thinking, in the twenties, you have 2-3 FTE jobs going at once and drop the worst one periodically as you bring on additional employers.

How can people constanly like like that? I mean, they must constantly cover up the reason why they couldn't join a call or couldn't answer on chat at the moment etc.. Not to mention outright lies during interviews. I guess they also have to stop maintaining their Linkedin.

I still don't understand how people find time to do this. The overhead from switching all the time would kill my productivity and take a bunch of time away from what I actually want to be doing, which is not working.

The point is not to be productive, the point is to shamelessly do the bare minimum you need to in order to get more money.

Right, sure. Just as there's no ethics in capitalism I don't think there's any room for shame in capitalism either.

Personally, when I was consulting I really wanted to want multiple clients at once but I actually found myself most happy with just one.

Maybe they don't. I've heard this story a few times, but never in a way that could be verified. It's a bit of an urban legend equivalent for me. Maybe there's even someone who pulled it off for a while. But just as likely it's a joke that became a "true story". Same as the manager throwing the CVs in the air to choose the lucky ones.

Honestly I posted that as a joke. But I am intrigued if it actually can be done. Take the easy jobs, apply a 10x/4 for a two x effort at all your jobs. Be careful to only accept jobs that are low on meeting expectations.

IMO the people that can actually succeed while overemployed could be just as successful, if not more so, as an above-the-board consultant or freelancer. It just seems like inventing a way to do something that already exists and many people do.

I probably agree after careful consideration. Finding a low tax jurisdiction to consult remotely from is probably the best move for someone capable and experienced.

I agree, i don't think this narrative of "just move" applies to 90% of developers. And most people are not in a position to just leave...

This is why tech needs unions.

It's not just Elon. A few other prominent and less prominent CEOs are pushing the same agenda. My former employer went the other direction and opted to not renew any leases on office space. So I think this is going to be a point of friction for a while and we'll see some varied approaches but I also think remote work is definitely going to win.

No, this is just going back to normality. This is how it was in 2019.

IMO certain professions may be ok with remote but for the most part, the kind of work Tesla does, remote work is suboptimal.

We are going to see a bifurcation of companies that adopt either strategies. Time will tell.

> the kind of work Tesla does, remote work is suboptimal.

What's _the kind of work Tesla does_? Sure, remote assembly may be suboptimal. What about software development? Operations? Etc.

You don't need face to face all the time. But sure, be a dick and give a one week deadline for people to adjust again and see how it goes.

I sense a bit of frustration and rudeness in your response, not sure why. I've worked as a engineer (not software) and most of the things get done in person, in the lab and in cubicles. Brainstorm on physical objects, looking at CAD models and comparing geometry, reviewing drawings, troubleshooting manufacturing problems, etc. Even operations requires interfacing with manufacturing leads which are in the factory.

If you have an axe to grind about WFH, probably should work as a non-software engineer or talk to someone who does and have a sense that perhaps your view is biased towards a particular type of personality that you may have.

Even amongst software engineers, there is a debate about how well WFH works.

> What's the kind of work Tesla does?

I am having trouble thinking of a job that requires a minimum of 40 hours in the office plus untold many hours that can be done either remotely or in the office.

> The kind of work Tesla does

The factory workers are already in the factories. The ones remote are the ones who can do their work remote and the company has only broken records since the pandemic started with remote work.

Elon himself says, you can do remote work, after you’ve been in the office for 40 hours, implying, that remote work is totally possible

> Elon himself says, you can do remote work, after you’ve been in the office for 40 hours, implying, that remote work is totally possible

You took that seriously? It was clearly a joke.

It's not like you can build rockets or cars at home.

You sort of can! I work in hw for an av company and we make it work. There are some people who are required to come in, but a lot of hw development is data analysis and/or done in cad. You don't need to go into the office for that.

This this this. I've been at plenty of gigs where everyone is all around the world. It's too late to go back, and good riddance! :D

Reply on news.ycombinator.com